US Navy Aircraft Carrier USS Harry S Truman Collides With Merchant Vessel In Mediterranean Sea- wna24
The US Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman (CVN 75) and a large merchant vessel named Besiktas-M collided in the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday night. The incident took place at around 11.46 pm local time near Egypt’s Port Said. There were no reported injuries or flooding on the Navy aircraft carrier and its propulsion plants “are unaffected and in a safe and stable condition” on Truman. A rescue operation has been launched and a probe has been initiated to ascertain the cause behind the massive collision, a US Navy spokesperson said on Thursday.
According to the reports, the ships collided in the vicinity of Port Said in Egypt.
According to Cmdr. Timothy Gorman, spokesperson for the US Sixth Fleet, the collision did not endanger the USS Harry S Truman. “There are no reports of flooding or injuries,” Gorman stated adding that the propulsion plants are unaffected and in a safe and stable condition. He added that the incident is under investigation and more information will be released as it becomes available.
The USS Harry S Truman was operating in the Red Sea until recently, as part of the US Navy’s efforts to defend key shipping lanes from attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen. The carrier strike group, consisting of the aircraft carrier and several other warships, sailed into the Middle East region in December.
After conducting combat operations, the carrier and its escorts departed the Red Sea and made a port call in the Mediterranean earlier this month. The collision occurred near Port Said, which is located at the mouth of the Suez Canal leading to the Red Sea.
The merchant vessel Besiktas-M, involved in the collision, is a nearly 200-metre-long Panama-flagged bulk carrier. As of Thursday evening local time, the vessel was spotted in the vicinity of Port Said.
The officials stated that while collisions involving Navy vessels are rare, especially for aircraft carriers, they can occur. There have been several incidents in recent years, including two fatal collisions involving destroyers and merchant ships in 2017.